Shooting close to homes

Can you tell me the law regarding where you are allowed to use a rifle for rabbiting in proximity to housing and roads and shooting towards populated areas?

Your authority to use a rifle, whether for shooting rabbits or any other quarry, will be controlled by the condition on your firearm certificate (FAC) defining the land over which you are permitted to shoot. This may restrict you to land approved by the police for the class of rifle that you are using, or it may be an “open” condition that does not place any territorial restriction on your use of the rifle.

Either way, the onus will be upon you, the user of the rifle, to ensure that at all times your bullet has a safe and suitable backstop. Ideally, this should be of soft earth. Moreover, you must ensure that elevation from which your shot is fired is such that your bullet does not ricochet off stones or hard or frozen ground in such a way that causes a danger to others. When shooting anywhere near other members of the public, you should also take into account their potential reaction to what you are doing.

There is no legal limit on the proximity within which you may shoot around houses or populated areas. When shooting in these situations you must simply take extra care regarding both safety and the possible alarm or annoyance that your shooting may cause to others. Always use a sound moderator if you have one and, if appropriate, advise the police that you will be rabbit shooting, using the 101 number. This will help if a member of the public sees you and calls the police.

In respect of a highway, it is an offence under the Highways Act 1980 if you shoot within 50ft of the centre of a highway, leading to a road user being injured, interrupted or endangered. GD

Your FAC will give you some indication regarding where you are allowed to shoot